FRENTANUM extra virgin olive oil – medium fruity – 100 ml

FRENTANUM olive oil from Vitelium. Medium fruity, grassy, made from Gentile di Larino.

FRENTANUM olive oil is a medium fruity extra virgin olive oil from Vitelium in the Biferno Valley in Molise, pressed predominantly from Gentile di Larino olives. No soft, buttery oil, no frying oil, no mass-produced product.

FRENTANUM olive oil from Vitelium is a varietal-focused extra virgin olive oil made from early-harvested olives, which the producer classifies as medium fruity. Those buying a green oil from southern Italy for the first time often face the same question: How robust can it be so that it works in everyday cooking? Frentanum is a good answer to this question. It has enough fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness to show character, but remains more approachable than the intense Embratur. The 100 ml bottle makes it easy to try without having to buy a large quantity right away.

Grass, artichoke, and a peppery trace

Frentanum smells of freshly cut green olives and meadow grass. On the palate, a fruity artichoke note reveals itself, accompanied by a distinct but not harsh bitterness. The peppery spiciness follows on the finish, as explicitly described by the producer.

Medium fruity means that in a tasting, the fruitiness is rated between 3 and 6 on a scale of 10. This places Frentanum exactly in the middle between delicate oils and very robust early harvests. For everyday cooking, this is a practical range because the oil can stand up to many dishes.

Those expecting an olive oil that does not sting the throat at all will find Frentanum too robust. The spiciness is a quality indicator in green oils, but for some palates it may be unfamiliar at first.

From bread with salt to cavatelli with broccoli

A medium fruity olive oil shows its strength in cold dishes and as a finishing oil. The simplest test: a slice of white bread, a tablespoon of Frentanum, a pinch of sea salt. This reveals the oil without distraction.

After that, a fennel salad with orange segments, lukewarm potato salad with capers, or grilled zucchini are suitable. For fried sea bass or chicken, add a teaspoon only on the plate. Typical of Molise are cavatelli with broccoli, garlic, and a little peperoncino, which receive a generous dash of Frentanum at the end.

The oil is not intended for high-heat frying, as the delicate grassy notes are lost at high temperatures. A milder oil is also recommended for mayonnaise.

For a vinaigrette, mix three parts Frentanum with one part white wine vinegar, a dollop of mustard, and salt. It goes well with leaf salads, lentils, or lukewarm asparagus.

For beginners: First, take the oil pure from a spoon to taste. While doing so, draw a little air through your lips. This allows you to recognize the fruitiness, bitterness, and spiciness one after the other, and you will then know where you want to use it.

From the Biferno Valley near Larino

The olives for Frentanum grow in the fertile Biferno Valley near Larino in Molise. Larino was a center of the Frentani in antiquity, an Italic people on the Adriatic coast, after whom the oil is named. The Gentile di Larino variety is still native there today and is hardly found anywhere else.

Vitelium harvests the olives early and by hand, in the green stage of ripeness before the color change. They reach the mill within a few hours, where the oil is extracted purely mechanically. The processing remains below 27 degrees, the limit for the cold extraction label under EU law.

The producer rates the acidity at less than 0.2 percent, while 0.8 percent is permitted for native oils of the highest category. Two people run the company. Davide Petrollino, a PhD in plant biology, manages his family's groves in Provvidenti. Constanze Engelbrecht manages Vitelium GmbH in Hamburg.

The small bottle as a decision aid

With the sample size, you can find out whether a green, medium fruity oil suits your cooking. It is also suitable for small households that use olive oil mainly for drizzling. Once opened, the oil tastes its most vibrant in the first few weeks. Unopened, the producer states a shelf life of one and a half to two years after bottling, provided the bottle is kept cool and dark.

As a small gift for people who enjoy cooking, the slender bottle is also a good choice.

In a direct comparison with the EMBRATUR in 100 ml, it quickly becomes apparent how much more robust an intense early harvest is. Those who have chosen Frentanum can also find it as a FRENTANUM pantry bottle with 250 ml.

A green olive oil from an old Molise variety, in the small bottle for the first tasting and bread with salt.